Problem: Divide. Express your answer as a decimal. $7 \div 2 =$
There are many ways to solve this problem. Let's see two possible solutions. Place value strategy Let's think in terms of tenths: $\begin{aligned} &\phantom{=}7 \div 2&\\\\ &=7.0 \div 2\\\\ &= 70\text{ tenths}\div 2\\\\ &= 35\text{ tenths}\\\\ &= 3.5 \end{aligned}$ Fraction strategy Let's convert the division problem to a fraction with a denominator of $10$. $\begin{aligned} 7 \div 2 &= \dfrac{7}{2}&\gray{\text{Rewrite the division problem as a fraction}}\\\\ &= \dfrac{7 \times 5}{2 \times 5}&\gray{\text{Multiply the top and bottom by 5}}\\\\ &=\dfrac{35}{10}&\\\\ &= 3.5& \end{aligned}$ The answer $7 \div 2 = 3.5$